Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Two Words: Gun Safe

My move down to So-Ill is complete and I am now living in my apartment. The place I moved in to is probably the nicest apartment in town. It's also a former retirement home. So, the doors are all huge and there aren't many windows. Also, many of the residents are elderly folks. I live with a lot of elderly people in an apartment complex with big doors... I do not live in an old folks home. But, when I was playing guitar yesterday, some old ladies did bang on the wall and scream at me. I hope they like bluegrass or this will be a long eight months.

I also started my new job at an elementary school in a small town in So-Ill. I am working as a teacher's aid in a special ed classroom right now. Our kids are age 6-8 and have a wide range of conditions from Autism to Downs Syndrome. They're all great kids. And, I am pretty much in way over my head. The funny thing is that the kids know this for the most part which makes my life that much more interesting. For example, one of the kids managed to hide from me in a TV cabinet and laughed himself silly when I tried to get him out. So far though, my favorite part of the job is when I get to do one on one reading lessons with the kids. It takes a great deal of patience and a lot of time, but the end result is rewarding, profoundly so.

Now for a list of funny phrases I've heard since I moved to Southern Illinois:"Aw hell, that gun safe can hold a shit ton of guns.""I just changed the boy's diaper and he totally destroyed that room! Excuse me grandma.""After the wreck, I managed to get the car in to the Long John Silver's parking lot, dragging the bumper the whole way."

And now for another installment of things I miss most about working at Owen Roe and Oregon in general.1. Punching down and tasting wine right off the press.2. Beautiful sun rises with Mt. Hood and sun sets on the farm.3. Making the angry red neck noise with Berlin and Vanderslooth while working too late.4. Ranting about politics with Stephen5. Jesse's meals at the winery.6. The Owens7. Panaderia Gonzalez's home made tortillas and wonderfully cheap burritos.8. Organic food and free produce every day9. Free beer and wine10. The cold bachelor pad that was always well stocked with delicious Hobbs beer.11. Berlin, Jeff, Marcus, Chris, Brash, Mariano, Stephen, Darius, Matt, Zoe, Jennifer, John, Jesse and Mary.

The new question for you; why should you keep reading this blog? Well, even though Kentucky and Oregon are behind me, what could be better than a teacher's aid, broke, living in southern Illinois in an old folks home? The possibilities are endless! The madness!